Tragedies of the Past
by Ninja-Consultant
Summary: An eight chapter story that continues from Where Do We Go From Here?. Both Superboy and Match have events in their respective pasts that they'd prefer to forget. Will events let them or drag them down? Completed.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Tragedies of the Past, chapter 1

Green Arrow was annoyed. Despite not being an active member of the JLA, he had been talked into taking monitor duty. He didn't know that Match was going to be there, and even though he was quiet and didn't get in his way, the presence of the young man bugged him. Maybe it was that Match was too polite or too quiet. Green Arrow knew how teenagers were supposed to act, and Match didn't act that way.

"Why don't you run one of the training programs?" he suggested.

Match turned to look at him. Green Arrow repressed a shudder at the teen's calm expression.

"I haven't had a chance to practice my marksmanship," Match replied. "I'd like to make sure I haven't lost any skill."

"There's a shooting range program that you can try."

Match looked a bit dubious. "I'd prefer something interactive. If I'm going to shoot at something, it's doubtful that it would be still and not fire back."

Green Arrow saw an opportunity to teach Match a lesson. "I've got a practice program that you can use. You'll probably want to make sure your hair's under control."

"Thank you," Match said, not suspecting anything. "I'll get ready."

* * *

It was a quiet day at Titan's Tower. Green Arrow's face appeared on the monitor. 

"Want to see someone taken down?" he asked with a smile.

"What are you up to?" asked Speedy.

"I'm going to teach Match to be careful of what he asks for."

Superboy shifted uncomfortably. Robin, Kid Flash, and Wonder Girl looked more interested.

"What are you going to do?" Robin asked.

"He wanted an interactive marksmanship program. So he's going to get my hard practice program."

* * *

Match finished checking the modified Glock. He had changed into a plain black jumpsuit and wove his hair into a single long braid. He was ready for the play to finally be over so he could cut his hair. He took an extra clip of ammunition and placed it at the small of his back to provide easy access and not get in the way. 

He walked to the practice program, ready to begin.

"Remember, no powers!" Green Arrow's voice came over the speakers.

"Of course," Match said.

The doors slid open, and multiple men with machine guns opened fire on him.

* * *

"That's so unfair!" Superboy protested. 

"He went and took cover," Wonder Girl pointed out.

"He even snapped off a couple of shots to take two down," Kid Flash said. "Guess he was lucky."

"Hitting a moving target while under fire, running, and not having any time to aim?" Robin said. "That's not luck. When has he been so good with guns?"

"I don't know," Superboy admitted. "I never knew that he knew how to shoot."

* * *

Green Arrow was surprised. He had expected Match to panic and get hit with the fake bullets that would end the program. As it was, he managed to disable two with what would be serious, but non-lethal, injuries. 

"The kid's good," he admitted to the empty room.

* * *

Match dove out from behind the corner and rolled behind another obstacle. He took three shots while rolling and took down three more shooters.

* * *

"All this would need is some white doves, and it'd be like a John Woo flick," Kid Flash remarked. 

"He's so calm too," Wonder Girl said. "It's like it's too easy for him."

"No," Superboy disagreed. "When he's concentrating a lot, he gets a blank look on his face. That's the way he is."

* * *

When there was a pause in the shooting, Match rolled out and took three shots. He then sprinted for another piece of cover, dodging shots. Once there, he released the empty clip from the gun and reloaded.

* * *

"Did he take those shots with his left hand?" Green Arrow exclaimed. "I didn't know he was ambidextrous!"

* * *

"Is he just showing off now?" Beast Boy asked. "Why'd he change hands like that?" 

"No, he had a reason," Robin said. "He managed to save some time by doing that. Just a fraction of a second, but that's all he's ahead of these guys by."

"Where'd he learn how to do this?" Cyborg asked.

Superman shook his head. "I don't know."

* * *

Ten targets left, Match thought. One for each bullet. 

He sprung out and hit two of them before ducking behind cover again. He got a better fix on the remaining shooter's locations and mapped out where their movements would take them. A dash for another piece of cover and a few shots later, and he only had four shooters left.

* * *

After seeing Match deal with the last four, Green Arrow went to the practice room to confront him. 

Match was sitting against the wall, cooling down. He had clearly exerted himself, but he looked relatively comfortable.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?" Green Arrow demanded. "This program gives me problems sometimes; you just breezed through it!"

"There's less reloading time for a gun than a bow," Match offered. "There's less skill involved for me."

"Answer my question! Where'd you learn to shoot and move like that?"

"The Groups implanted knowledge into me. Espionage, weapon skills, hand to hand combat techniques, and computer hacking are all things I can do from that knowledge."

"You were specifically shooting to disable, weren't you? You could have shot to kill if you wanted to."

"Yes."

"You've killed before, haven't you?"

Match stared at him for a moment. "I'm going to shower."

He walked off without looking back.

* * *

"He didn't answer the last question," Speedy noted. "That means he did, right? He killed someone." 

"I've got to finish up some homework," Superboy said, abruptly walking off.

Robin stared thoughtfully at Superboy as he left.

----------

Many thanks to everyone who commented on my previous stories. I hope that you find this one enjoyable. I've upped the action quotient a bit though it still really revolves around interaction between the characters.

Any and all comments welcome!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Tragedies of the Past, chapter 2

"You've been putting it off," Max calmly said.

"No, I haven't," Conner protested. "I've just been busy."

"Methinks the gentleman doth protest too much," Lois said, smiling.

"You need to see if it fits properly," Clark said.

"I can adjust it, if it's uncomfortable," Martha offered.

"Come on, Conner," Jonathan encouraged.

Conner looked with disgust at his Romeo costume. He didn't want to wear the thing at all.

"You have to wears yours as well," he told Max.

"I'd have to put on makeup to get the full effect," Max noted.

"It's all right," Lois said with a smirk. "We've got time."

Conner sighed. "Fine. I'll go change."

Where Conner was able to change relatively quickly, it took Max longer.

"You go on down," he said, as he put on his costume. "I'll be down when I finish."

"They're going to take pictures, you know."

"Then we might as well give them the full effect. Let me dab some of the blush on you."

Conner resisted the urge to push Max away when he applied the makeup to his face. "Where'd you learn how to do this?"

"I wore the goth makeup before, remember? Maybe I should go down as a gothic Juliet."

"I don't think they'd find it funny."

"Probably not. But to answer your question, I had to help the Contessa when she was alive."

"Do you ever miss her?"

"Why do you ask that?"

"You sometimes get this wistful look when you talk about her."

Max looked critically at Conner. "I think your costume might be a little tight in the shoulders."

"You're-"

"-avoiding the question. I know. She was the closest thing I had to a mother. Not a good one or one who gave a damn about me, of course. I tried to please her, and she didn't ever notice or care. It...hurts to care about someone who doesn't care about you."

There was a pause.

"You'd better put the rest of your costume on," Conner said. "I have to go and be a charming Romeo. In these embarrassing tights."

"If you want to opt for the dress..."

Conner smiled. Max was opening up more.

* * *

"Don't you look dashing!" Martha exclaimed. 

Conner had a strained smile on his face. The costume was a bit tight in the shoulders, and he felt like an idiot wearing the tights. He had worn skin-tight outfits before, but he hadn't felt this uncomfortable, or underdressed, in them.

Clark and Jonathan gave him encouraging smiles. Lois was searching in her purse.

"Where's the camera?" she muttered. "I know it's here somewhere."

"It feels a little tight in the shoulders," Conner reported.

"I'll adjust it," Martha promised.

Lois finally found her camera and snapped a few pictures.

"Now, where's Max?" she asked.

"I'm here," a soft and lightly accented voice came from the top of the stairs.

Conner turned to look and his jaw dropped. Max had worked on the costume himself, so he hadn't seen it worn yet. Rather than go for a costume that covered him entirely, Max had gone for a shoulderless dress that tied in the front. He wore full-length gloves that made his arms and hands look slender. A full-length billowing skirt concealed his legs, but what caught Conner's attention was that Max seemed to have grown a chest in the last five minutes. It appeared to be a chest that nicely fit on his body, and how did he manage that in a shoulderless dress? He looked up and saw a made up face that wouldn't be out of place in a fashion magazine.

Max adjusted the scarf that was wrapped around his neck. "How do I look?" he asked in that soft, accented voice.

Martha found her voice first. "How-how did you do it? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a girl!"

"It isn't quite an authentic period dress," Max noted. "I made some adjustments so I could get into it on my own."

"How'd you get that chest?" Conner asked, which received stares from everyone else. "What? I know that's what all of you were thinking too."

"In the spare clothes, there was a woman's business suit from the 80s. I used the shoulder pads from that. Some tape keeps it to my chest, and some makeup blends it into my skin."

"You taped it to your chest?" Lois asked. "Doesn't it hurt to take off?"

"Only a little," Max responded. "I don't really have body hair."

"Okay, time for some pictures," Lois said, snapping pictures of Max by himself and Max and Conner together.

"What's with your voice?" Conner asked.

"I figured it might be a little disturbing if I used my man-voice while looking like this, so I'm using Juliet's voice," Max replied.

"You're going to make me look bad on stage, aren't you?"

"You'll be fine," Max promised. "You're better than you give yourself credit."

* * *

After changing back, the six sat down for dinner. 

"I saw your shooting practice," Clark commented. "I didn't know you were that good with a gun."

Lois looked interested. "How good are you? I know how to shoot too."

"I didn't know that," Conner said. "Where'd you learn?"

"My father was in the Army. He raised me like a son, much to my mother's dismay. Lucy got to be more of a girl; not a lot, but more than me."

"I'm a decent enough marksman," Max replied.

"Decent enough?" Conner said. "He's John Woo-movie good!"

Clark looked confused. "Who's John Woo?"

"Are you kidding?" Martha asked. "He's a director that started in Hong Kong before coming to the US. He's got some of the best gun-fu scenes out there!"

Everybody gave her a surprised look except Jonathan.

"What?" she said. "Jonathan and I see movies on the weekend when we're alone. I like action films."

"I didn't know the movie theater here played stuff like that," Lois commented.

"We also have a Blockbuster, dear," Martha said, smiling.

"Any other talents you want to let us know about?" Clark asked Max.

"I'm an excellent hand-to-hand combatant," Max started.

"Wait a minute," Conner interrupted. "When we spar, I hold my own against you."

Max looked apologetic. "Sorry, I've been holding back."

Conner looked a bit offended as Max continued. "I'm also trained in melee weapons. I've got some acrobatics training and a good sense of balance. There are few languages that I don't speak fluently. I know how to pick locks and disable security devices without my powers. I'm pretty good at computers too. I've got my espionage training and can type comfortably at 120 works a minute. I can go faster if I need to."

"You forgot to add that you're a good chef and have a pleasant singing voice," Martha added.

Max looked embarrassed. "I didn't think anyone heard me singing along with the radio."

"Maybe we should get you a bat logo for your clothing," Conner joked.

The rest of the table chuckled as Max blushed.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Conner asked as they were in their beds that night. 

"I'm fine," Max answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Just a feeling. It's okay to talk about yourself, you know."

"I guess I don't get what the fuss is over. The only reason I've got these abilities is because they were put in me."

"You must have picked up something on your own."

"I got better in them, but I started at a high level."

"It doesn't take away from what you've accomplished with them."

"I'm not sure others would agree with you."

"You're relentlessly pessimistic, aren't you?"

"It's a byproduct of my experiences."

"In that case, I'll have to make sure you have better experiences to improve your outlook."

-------------

Answering questions from my reviews...

The Kents are still here; Conner and Max just spend the weekends away to give them some time alone.

Any and all comments welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Tragedies of the Past, chapter 3

"I can't believe I'm doing this," Conner muttered, looking with disgust at the building before them.

Max was calmer. "It's the assignment we pulled."

"I still don't have to like it."

"Let's get the tour done. Then we won't have to stick around Lexcorp anymore."

Conner sighed at his bad luck. He had pulled a field trip to the Lexcorp building in Wichita. He had to gather information to write a report about it. While there was a lot of information on the internet, the class required an on-site visit. Others had pulled different companies, but at least Max got the same one as he did.

The two dutifully registered at the desk and received their visitor passes. The guide met them and began the tour.

* * *

In the sub-basement, the robotics team was celebrating. They had finished the prototype military combat robot and were ready to begin its initial test. 

One of the team members flipped the switch to turn it on, and the initialization process began. Things were going well until the test coordinates were entered. A flaw in the code had the robot acquire the federal building as its target instead.

As the team realized this, they tried to shut it down, but the robot's security shut them out. It rocketed up to leave the Lexcorp building and destroy its target.

One of the team members looked at the gaping hole and said, "There goes our completion bonus."

* * *

Conner was feeling a little better about the assignment. On the tour, he learned that Lexcorp did more than build weapons that Luthor tried to kill Superman with. They actually had an advanced agricultural program that helped increase crop yield and replenish the soil. Even though Jonathan was no longer a farmer, Conner had heard quite a bit about crops and farming from him. He was starting to think that Lexcorp might be okay after all. 

Of course, a giant robot coming through the floor did its part to cut off that line of thought.

"Destroy target," it intoned in its computerized voice as it left the building, leaving chaos and destruction in its wake.

Conner looked around. The tour guide had fled. He turned to Max.

"I'll go after it," he said in a low voice. "You up to joining me?"

Max shook his head. "My powers aren't strong enough. I'll check on its origin."

Their plans made, the two set off in different directions.

* * *

Superboy changed into costume in a deserted alley. He flew after the robot. He caught sight of it and unleashed his heat vision. It rocked the robot back a little. It turned to face him. 

"Acquiring new target and shifting to offense mode," it said as it began opening fire.

"It wasn't in offense mode before?" Superboy muttered to himself. "Crap."

* * *

Max had picked up a lab coat and a pair of glasses to disguise himself. He did his best to hide his hair under the coat, but it wasn't a very good job. Still, it was better than nothing. He strode confidently through the building, looking like he belonged. 

He found a group of people milling around where the destruction looked to have begun.

"What's going on?" he snapped in a commanding tone.

One of the scientists looked at him uncertainly. "Uh, who are you?"

"I'm Sterns," Max lied. "I'm here to stop this mess from becoming a major disaster. I need a report of what happened, now!"

In the confusion, nobody questioned the one giving orders.

"We've lost control of our prototype."

"I can see that. How do we get it under control?"

"We haven't fit it with the transmitter yet. There's no way to get control of it."

"There's always a way," Max said confidently. "If the transmitter is installed now, would that take care of it?"

"No," another team member said. "It's not integrated into the system. Installing it isn't the problem; it's getting through the security."

"Why isn't installing it a problem?"

"We've got a mobile transmitter that we can slap on. Getting through the security...that's the difficult part."

"Is it the Lex-OS?" Max asked.

"Yes."

"Give me the transmitter and a notebook to send to it," Max ordered. "I'll take care of the security."

* * *

Superboy was getting the worse of the battle. The robot was moving a lot quicker than its bulk would indicate and it seemed to have all sorts of weapons. So far, it had tried knock-out gas, a net to entangle him, missiles, and some sort of energy beam. What was worse was that it seemed to have some sort of really good armor that shrugged off his punches. It also seemed to be protected by some sort of energy shield that prevented him from disassembling it with his tactile telekinesis. 

"Superboy!" he heard Max call out.

He dodged another blast and flew over.

Max was in disguise as a scientist. He pushed something into Kon's hand.

"It's a transmitter," he explained. "If you stick it on the robot, I'll be able to get into its systems."

Kon nodded and then flew off to engage the robot. He dodged some more attacks and slapped the device on the robot's back.

Max had set up the notebook computer on the sidewalk and immediately tried accessing the robot's systems. He was annoyed to see that the only competent people who worked on the project were involved in the robot's security systems. It was going to take time to crack.

"You really need to just stop," Superboy told the robot as he landed another punch. "If I promise to oil you, will you give up?"

The robot didn't seem to have a sense of humor and lashed out with a punch that sent Superboy flying. He regained control and retaliated with his heat-vision.

Max continued to type at a rapid rate. He had cracked the first two layers of security, but the robot's main programs were better protected. He started deleting subfiles, but they were apparently being restored by the robot from a protected section of its systems.

"Incoming transmission attempting to disable this unit," the robot said. "Tracing transmission...done. Acquiring new target."

"Crap," Kon said as he charged the robot, trying to stop it before it got to Max.

Max heard what the robot said but ignored his own safety and continued attacking its systems. Another couple layers of security were evaded.

Kon swore. He was slowing down the robot, but it was still getting closer to Max.

"Initiating missile bombardment of transmission site in thirty seconds," the robot said.

"Get out of there!" Superboy shouted.

"I've almost got it!" Max shouted back.

"Get out, now!"

"I'm going to finish this!"

"Stop being so stubborn!"

Max didn't reply until he said, "Done! Its defensive systems are down!"

Superboy tried to channel his power into the robot again, and this time there was no energy shield to stop it. The robot scattered into its component pieces.

Kon squinted. No missiles were launched. That was good. Fittingly, it seemed as if most of the damage the robot caused in its rampage was confined to the Lexcorp building. He took a brief flyover to make sure that no one needed any help. By the time he finished that, Max had hidden his disguise and was making a call.

"This is Max," he said. "There was a giant robot that broke loose in the Lexcorp building. Yes, Conner and I are fine. Could you pick us up? Also, could you let the school know you've done so? I don't think other students were affected."

Conner landed in an alley and changed to his civilian clothes. By the time he was done, Max was waiting for him.

"That was well done," he complemented Conner.

Conner gave him a look. "I'm angry at you."

Max gave him a startled look. "Why?"

"You nearly got yourself blown up!"

"I knew that I was ahead of it."

"You're not the only one with a good time sense. You had less than a second before it fired."

Max took a look around to make sure no one could hear them. "I saw the specs. I knew that I was ahead of it enough to get the field down for you. Besides..."

"Besides, what?"

"You were here."

"What do you mean by that?"

Max spoke with absolute conviction. "I knew you'd save me if there were problems. I have complete faith in you."

Conner looked at him suspiciously. "If this is some kind of joke..."

Max shook his head. "It's no joke. I trust you more than anyone else."

Conner sighed. "Try not to make me worry, okay? I don't want to let you down if I mess up."

"You'll never let me down. You always try your hardest."

* * *

Back at the Kent's farm, Conner was relating his fight with the giant robot when there was a knock at the door. Max answered it to reveal Clark and Lois. 

"This is a surprise," Max said. "I take it you heard the news?"

Clark nodded. "I wanted to see if you two were okay."

Max led them to the dining room. "Conner's the one who took a hit from the thing. That reminds me, I have something to give you."

He left the room while Clark looked Conner over. He sighed in relief.

"You're okay?" Clark asked.

Conner nodded. "It wasn't too bad. I'm glad I was able to stop it before it hurt anyone."

Max returned with the notebook computer he received from Lexcorp. "The schematics of the robot are on here."

"Where'd you get the computer?" Lois asked as Max handed it to Clark.

"I borrowed it from Lexcorp to help stop the robot."

"They just let you have it?"

"I was sort of in disguise at the time."

Lois laughed. "Have you ever been interested in becoming an investigative reporter? If you are, I can teach you everything I know."

Clark shot her a look. "Thank you for getting this, Max. I'll return it to Lexcorp after we extract the data and remove any traces that you had it. Please don't get in the habit of doing this."

Max nodded. "I won't."

Conner chimed in. "You should have seen him! He went and hacked his way into that robot! He brought its defense systems down which let me tear it apart."

Clark exchanged a glance with Martha and nodded. She got up and left the room. In a few minutes, she returned with a box.

"That brings us to why we're here," Clark said, taking the box. "After hearing about the events of today, I think you're ready for this."

He offered the box to Max. Max took it with an inquisitive look on his face. He opened it and softly gasped in surprise at the contents.

Inside was a black t-shirt with an S-shield logo done in a manner similar to Conner's costume, except it was blue instead of red.

"What's this?" Max asked in confusion.

"It's your costume," Clark answered. "When your powers return, it's what we want you to wear."

"But...I don't deserve-," Max tried.

Lois cut him off. "Yes, you do. You've done good."

Conner nodded. "You risked your life today to help me against that robot. I don't want you making a habit of putting your life in danger, but you did it regardless of the consequences."

Max was too overcome to speak.

* * *

Seine walked calmly through the hallway. He stopped in front of a non-descript door. He took a moment to compose himself before knocking. 

"Come in," he heard.

He opened the door and saw Rhine looking through files. The elderly man looked up.

"I take it you have something for me, Seine?" he asked.

Seine nodded and handed him a disc. "That contains evidence that Match did survive."

Rhine put the disc in and played it. The audio file on the disc consisted of the shouted conversation from the fight between the robot and Superboy.

"Well done," Rhine said. "That does sound like him, doesn't it? How do you propose we deal with this loose end?"

"I suggest we let Danube take care of it. She's always hated him, and she has the power to do it."

Rhine smiled. "Yes, she would be an excellent solution, wouldn't she? Sadly, she no longer takes orders from me. This wouldn't be enough to convince her."

"Then perhaps we need to stage another incident to gather more proof."

"And how do you suggest we do that?"

"Operation: Dark Reflection can be put into motion."

Rhine smiled. "We seem to be on the same wavelength. Prepare it."

"Yes, sir."

---------

Giant robots make everything better. They honestly do. In case anyone was worried from the last chapter, this is not going to turn into a yaoi fic. I just like the occasional tweaking of fandom and its lust for finding pairings anywhere.

Any and all comments welcome!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Tragedies of the Past, chapter 4

Max finished his morning run and showered. He went into the room he shared with Conner and was surprised to see that Conner's bed was empty. He normally needed to nudge him awake.

Max dressed and went downstairs to the kitchen to prepare breakfast. He expected Conner to be looking through the refrigerator. He wasn't there, but a note was on the table. Max read it.

'_Not feeling up to anything today. Please cover for me. -- Conner.'_

Max prepared coffee for the Kents and breakfast. Ma was the next one down and smiled gratefully, as always, as she took a cup of coffee. She took a look at the note.

"Just tell people at school that he's not feeling well," she told Max.

"Does this happen often?" he asked. "You seem to be taking it in stride."

"It happened a lot before you came. If there's a day when you can't take hiding who you are, we'll cover for you too."

Max nodded and finished cooking. He handed out her breakfast and set aside Pa's before starting to eat his own.

"You're a little different from all the others that Pa and I have raised," she commented. "They all loved their beds, and it took some doing to get them out."

Max nodded. "I noticed that about Conner."

"Clark was even worse," Martha confided. "Sometimes Pa had to dump a bucket of cold water on him to get him out of bed."

Max tried to visualize that and failed. He heard a thump on the porch and got up.

"The paper's here," he explained.

Max retrieved the paper and took a brief scan of the front page. He checked the date again. He realized why Conner needed the day away from everyone.

* * *

Conner sat on a large rock in the crater near Smallville that Clark had shown him. He didn't want to be around anyone today. 

He sighed. Tana Moon wasn't the first person around him who had died, but she was the first woman that he loved. Maybe it was a little morbid to remember her on the anniversary of her death; perhaps her birthday or the day they met would have been more appropriate.

He took out a pad of paper and a pen from his backpack. Robin had once mentioned that Asian cultures would write letters to the dead and burn them to send them to the afterlife. Neither Tana nor he were from those cultures, but he wanted to do something to talk to her. Even if flying out to Hawaii were feasible, Tana's family had made it clear that they did not want to see him anywhere near her grave.

He stared off into space as he tried to figure out what to write.

* * *

Max hadn't realized how lonely school was without Conner. 

He was surrounded by people, but their concerns and experiences were so very different from his that he found it jarring. He was a little envious that the greatest hardship that others had ever faced was being grounded for a week. He would have traded his worst experiences for that without hesitation.

Conner had been through more serious hardships. He knew how it felt to be a hair's breadth from death. Max hoped that he'd be back soon. Tana's death was still hard for Conner, and Max felt guilty about his role in helping the Agenda. Spence had been acting of her own accord, but if it hadn't been for the Agenda kidnapping Tana and putting the trap on her, she'd still be alive.

Conner must hate me, Max thought. Especially today.

* * *

Conner began writing. 

'_Dear Tana,_

_I'm sorry I couldn't save you. I'd give anything to have been able to._

_I'll never forget you; you were my first love. What we had was special, and it'll be a part of me for as long as I live._

_I've got a new family now. It's my second one since I always considered you, Rex, and Roxy as my first. I think you'd love them; you could swap reporter talk with Lois and Clark, and Jonathan and Martha are just very warm, very caring people. I even have a little brother, Max, who you met. He's nothing like he used to be, but I don't think he gets that yet._

_Did you know that I've got new powers? I've added heat vision and the occasional spurt of super-hearing or X-ray vision to my list of powers. I don't just go on about 'tactile telekinesis' anymore. I've gotten my control over that to be able to project barriers consistently now. I wish I had managed that sooner; I might have been able to save you._

_I've changed since you last knew me. I'm not the irresponsible glory-seeker that I was. It's a little embarrassing to think of how I used to be. I've grown up._

_I also found out where I come from, or rather, who I came from. It's bad, very bad. I could stand being from Westfield. He was a bad guy, but he wasn't out to kill Superman like Lex Luthor. Scary, huh? I'm a mixture of the best man and the worst man on the planet. I don't know what I'm going to do about it. If you were here, I know you'd have advice to tell me. You'd say something to reassure me that it didn't make me a bad person._

_I miss you. I'll never forget you._

_Your forever,_

_Superboy, aka Conner Kent'_

Conner finished the letter and wiped his eyes. After a moment, he used his heat vision on the paper, watching it burn.

He laid back and stared into the sky, lost in his thoughts.

* * *

Max came back from school and looked around. He didn't see Conner. He worked on his homework before stopping and getting dinner ready. 

As he was preparing dinner, he looked outside and frowned. Dark clouds were rolling in.

He heard Ma and Pa come in.

Martha came in the kitchen. "That smells wonderful! Is Conner back yet?"

"No," Max answered. "How long does he normally stay out?"

Martha frowned. "He normally came back after school was over. It's unusual for him to stay out this late. Maybe he had to turn into Superboy for an emergency."

Max frowned. "Let's turn on the radio to check."

There were no reports of Superboy appearing in the area. The three grew worried as it began raining and thunder boomed.

"Do you know where he usually goes?" Max asked.

"There's a crater a few miles northeast of here," Jonathan replied. "Clark went there when he needed to get away from it all, and he showed it to Conner."

"I'll go there to search for him. Check with Clark to see if he knows where he is."

"Are you sure?" Martha asked. "You haven't used your powers in a while and the storm's getting pretty nasty."

"There shouldn't be a problem," Max reassured them.

* * *

Max flew high, staying out of sight. He was struggling against the wind a bit, frustrated that his powers weren't at the level to make getting there trivial. He had tied his hair into a braid again because the winds were strong enough that his hair would otherwise blow all over the place. It only took a couple of minutes to get to the crater, but Max realized it was going to be more difficult than he thought. 

As he landed, he called out, "Conner!"

If Conner replied, he couldn't hear it over the rain, wind, and occasional crash of thunder. Max started going through the forested crater, hoping to find him.

After a few minutes of searching, he grew worried. It was dark and he could barely see anything. He may have passed within twenty feet of Conner and not noticed.

Max tried to concentrate to hear him. Perhaps Conner is making some noise, he thought. He couldn't hear him, but then Max was bombarded with noise. He heard individual raindrops hitting the ground, animals taking shelter in the trees, the wind blowing through the trees, everything. It was overwhelming.

Max sank to his knees and tried to block it all out. That didn't work. He then tried to tune individual sounds out. He wasn't able to completely get rid of them, but he was able to turn them down. In doing this for multiple sounds, he became aware of two heartbeats. One was his, but the other one was coming from the wooded area. He rose to his feet and went there.

He found Conner staring at the sky.

"Conner!" he called out.

He received no response.

Max went and gently shook him. Physical contact seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he was in. Conner blinked and seemed to notice it was raining for the first time. He realized that he was soaked and that Max was as well.

"Let's go home," Conner said.

Max nodded.

* * *

Back at the Kents, the two had changed to dry clothes and were eating. 

"Why didn't you just keep the rain off of you?" Conner asked.

"I was," Max replied. "I lost my concentration when I started hearing everything."

"You're finally developing some more powers," Conner commented. "That's pretty good."

"I think I'm getting the raw end of the deal," Max said with a half-smile to show he was joking. "I get the enhanced hearing instead of heat-vision."

There was a pause.

"Are you okay?" Max asked.

"I'm fine now," Conner said. "Thank you for coming to get me."

"You looked like you were lost in thought."

"I was."

There was another pause.

Without any prompting, Conner said, "I was thinking of what might have been."

-------------

Any and all comments welcome!


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Tragedies of the Past, chapter 5

"It's going to have to happen," Max stated.

"Are you sure we can't get out of it?" Conner asked.

"Quite sure."

"I...I can't do it."

"You're going to have to."

"I can manage a peck on the cheek or something on the forehead, but that's it."

"Is this because it's me? Or because I'm a man?"

"Both. I'm not interested in kissing guys, and, contrary to whatever other people think, I'm not narcissistic enough to want to kiss someone who looks like me."

"Even if I'm all made up as Juliet?"

"I'll still know."

Max sighed. "The scene calls for it; there's no way it can be avoided. What if we alter it so that I'm the one kissing you? Could you just let it happen?"

"Isn't that out of character for Juliet?"

"She's a flighty character who mistakes infatuation for love."

"Not a fan, huh?"

"I think there's an over-romanticization of this play that obscures its main message."

"What message is that?"

"Children should obey their elders."

"That's certainly a novel interpretation of the play."

"You're avoiding the original problem. Could you just let me kiss you?"

"I don't know."

"Then let's find out," Max said as he went and kissed Conner.

Conner was stunned. Max wasn't just doing a quick kiss either; he was doing a full-on passionate kiss. Before everything fully registered in Conner's brain, Max stopped and took a step back.

"We'll play it that way, then," Max informed him.

"Where'd you learn to kiss like that?"

A brief flash of fear crossed Max's face before he said, "Excuse me, I need to finish my homework."

With that, Max left the room.

* * *

An hour before dinner, Ma asked Conner, "Do you know where Max is?" 

Conner's first thought was that he was in his room, but he knew that Martha would have already checked there.

"I'll see if I can find him," Conner said.

Conner looked everywhere in the house and couldn't find him. He then checked the barn and didn't find him in it. On a feeling, he checked the top of the bar and saw Max lying there.

"Uncle Jon will throw a fit if he sees you here," Conner warned.

"That's nice," Max said absently.

Conner felt awkward. "It doesn't matter to me."

"What doesn't?"

"If you like men or women. You're still my brother. I know that Lois, Clark, and the Kents won't care. You don't have to stay up here if you think they'll pass judgment."

Max gave him a brief, sad smile. "That's not why I'm here."

Conner felt himself blush. "Uh, why are you here then?"

There was a pause before Max answered. "Your question brought back memories. Memories that I would rather forget."

"From your time in the Agenda or the Groups?"

"Both."

"Do...do you want to talk about it?"

"Not really, but I think I owe it to you."

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to."

Max laughed a laugh that frightened Conner. There was no joy, no warmth in that laugh. It was a laugh of barely concealed pain.

"I'm sorry," Max said. "You have no idea how that sentence doesn't apply to me."

"Max, you're in pain. I want to help."

Max paused again before continuing. "I was...a commodity in the Agenda. I was passed around to do whatever I was ordered to do."

Conner gasped. "You mean..."

"I did whatever I was ordered to do," Max repeated.

"That's horribly..."

"In the Groups, I had to infiltrate organizations by whatever means the profile determined was the best. 'Best' usually meant 'fastest.'"

"Did you ever tell anyone?"

"Who was there to tell? It was condoned in the Agenda and an accepted tactic in the Groups."

"Why didn't you stop them? You have powers..."

"I couldn't disobey the Agenda. I couldn't. By the time I worked for the Groups...I suppose that I was desensitized to it."

"Max...no one will ever do that to you again."

Max shook his head. "It's my fault. I must have done something to cause it or encourage it."

Conner became angry. "It's not your fault! Don't talk like that! Whatever you look like, however you acted, it doesn't matter! If you didn't want to do what they did, they shouldn't have forced you!"

"There must have been something..."

Conner hugged Max. "Don't blame yourself."

"You...you don't hate me for it?"

"You said it was something you couldn't stop. You can't be blamed for those things."

---------

Yes, it gets a bit darker here. It is an action/adventure and angst story, after all.

Any and all comments welcome!


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Tragedies of the Past, chapter 6

The play went well, and Conner was relieved. He was less than relieved when he found that a recording of the play (edited to remove all references to Smallville High) turned up at Titan's Tower. Despite his protests and threats to destroy every screen in the Tower, the Titans watched the play. Wonder Girl did not take some scenes well.

"Who's this tramp that got the role of Juliet?" she asked. "Why'd she throw herself at you?"

"That's another guy, Cassie," Conner explained. "It's an all-male cast."

"You can't expect me to believe that someone with that figure and chest is a guy!"

"Looked like a girl to me," Bart chimed in.

"Gotta agree with you there," Gar said. "She was hot!"

"Back me up on that," Conner appealed to Tim. "You're a trained observer! You could tell it was a guy, right?"

"Somebody's who's really good at disguises could pull it off," he replied. "But, I don't think that someone in high school could do it. I'm almost positive that it's a girl."

"I can't believe you don't believe me," Conner complained.

"I can't believe you and some girl kissed like that," Cassie accused.

* * *

"This is your fault, you know," Conner told the screen. 

Max looked unruffled. "I'm sure you have a good explanation for that."

"If you weren't so convincing, they would have believed me."

"I'm not sure how to respond to that."

"Wonder Girl's giving me the cold shoulder. Kid Flash is asking how many girls are in my little black book. Robin's trying not to laugh. Beast Boy's asking for your phone number."

"Do you know how the tape got there?"

"I'm certain it's Superman who brought it here. It wouldn't occur to him that they'd react this way."

Max paused. "I'll come and fix things."

He turned off the communication channel and went to the JLA member on monitor duty.

"I need to take care of something with the Titans," he explained. "I'll just spend the rest of the weekend there."

"Are you sure?" the Flash asked. "I don't think they'll be that happy to see you."

"No, they won't, but it's necessary."

Max went to his assigned quarters and took out his Juliet costume. He had originally intended to teleport it into Earth's orbit and let it burn up in re-entry, but it looked as if he'd be wearing it one last time. He changed into it, applied the makeup, and telekinetically did his hair into the elaborate braids that he had worn for the performance. He then used the teleporter to go to Titan's Tower along with a bag containing his change of clothes.

The Titans were surprised at the presence of 'Juliet.'

Max flung his arms out and said in his Juliet voice, "Ah, Superboy!"

Conner was struck speechless by this, not believing this was happening.

Robin turned on Superboy. "You told her you were Superboy? I can't believe you did that!"

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," 'Juliet' continued.

"What are you doing here?" Wonder Girl asked with disdain clearly showing in her voice.

"Superboy told me that there was some confusion over our relationship. I have come to clear it up. We are close, but not romantically involved."

"You want me to get some target practice with her?" Speedy asked Cassie.

'Juliet' laughed. "You are so funny."

Beast Boy sidled up to 'her.' "I'm Garfield Logan. You may have seen me in the movies."

"Right now, I'm a little hot. You must have a pool here."

Gar smiled. "Of course we do! Let me show you there."

Everyone followed to the pool. 'Juliet' shook 'her' hair free.

"Do you have a swimsuit in your bag?" Kid Flash asked.

"There's no need for one," 'Juliet' said as 'she' started to untie 'her' dress.

"You can't be serious," Wonder Girl began as the dress slipped to the floor. "You are serious."

Max, keeping his back to the Titans, dove in the pool.

"Did she just go in topless?" Cyborg asked.

"Yeah," Robin said.

"You're all going to have to turn around," Speedy informed the men.

"There's no need for that," Conner said. "He's had his fun with everyone."

"That's right," Max said in his normal voice after he surfaced. "It wasn't so much fun as it was making a point."

The rest of the Titans stared at Max. The makeup had washed off, and the dirty water was being telekinetically contained in a globe that deposited itself in a trash bag. Max had undone his hair and was treading water in a brief swimsuit, clearly not a woman.

"Match!" Robin exclaimed.

Match got out of the pool and telekinetically shed the water from his body. He went to his duffle bag and began getting dressed.

"Since you doubted Superboy's word, this was the most efficient way to convince everyone of the truth," he calmly explained. "I don't believe there are any doubts now?"

"You did this because you wanted to trick us, didn't you?" Wonder girl accused. "You wanted us to look dumb, didn't you?"

"Those were not my motives," he replied.

"I sense no amusement or deception from him," Raven intoned.

"What are you going to do now?" Robin demanded. "When are you leaving?"

"I'm here for the rest of the weekend," Match answered, looking unruffled by Robin's hostility. "I'll stay out of your way."

"Why don't you put your bag in my room?" Conner suggested, looking to stop any more conflict. "I'll take you there."

Match nodded in acquiescence.

After they left, Speedy asked, "Who's Match and why are you guys angry at him?"

Kid Flash answered, "He's Superboy's clone. He impersonated him a while ago and tried to get us in trouble with everyone."

"Well, that sucks," Speedy said. "Why's he walking around instead of being in jail?"

"He's supposed to have reformed," Robin answered. "Batman doesn't trust him. Neither do I."

* * *

"You didn't have to do that," Conner said. 

"It convinced them," Max said. "It was an efficient way to do it."

"You could have thought of a way that didn't get them angry at you. It looks to have incited things."

"I misjudged. I thought it would be considered amusing."

Conner stared at him. "You were trying to be funny? Who are you and what did you do with my brother?"

"I'm not that bad."

"Your timing could be better. Your judgment...it could have been better too. Maybe you should have started with jokes back home."

Max dropped his bag in Conner's room.

"I think I'll get rid of this," he said, indicating his long hair.

* * *

"So he's just wandering out there?" Wonder Girl asked. 

"He's just getting a haircut," Conner said tartly. "It's not like there's anything really dangerous about getting a haircut."

"The point is that he's not being watched," Robin said.

"I don't watch him when he cooks. He has yet to poison me. I trust him."

"Match cooks?" Kid Flash asked. "Is he any good?"

"Yeah, he is."

The Titans were startled when a crash sounded from the entrance to the tower. They rushed there to find Devastation, Prometheus, and Merlyn there.

"Titans, take them-" Robin began before a blur streaked by him, knocking him out.

Inertia stood over him, having revealed himself.

"Follow the plan," he said with a sinister grin.

The villains charged to meet the Titans.

* * *

Max stepped out of the barber's with much shorter hair. It wasn't quite as short as Conner's, but it no longer fell to his waist. 

As he was walking down the street, his super hearing activated. Since he had previous experience with it, he was able to dampen it down.

However, before he did that, he caught a voice saying, "We've beaten the Titans! Restrain them and then-"

Max tried to catch the conversation again, but couldn't. He could pick up on Conner's heartbeat and it was weaker. He frowned. It appeared likely that someone had attacked the Titans.

Max went into a deserted alley and changed into costume. He wore the shirt that Martha had designed with khaki cargo pants. He wished he had a way to call for backup, but he didn't have a communication device. He flew to Titan's Tower and tried to hear what was happening. Match couldn't make out what was being said but could make out four voices. He also got a vague approximation of where the Titans were. He wished his powers were fully back; he was only up to about twenty-five percent of his previous capacity. He lightly glided to the roof and began disabling the security system to enter undetected.

Superboy was getting angry. It was bad enough that he had been ganged up on by Devastation and Prometheus, but being shackled to the wall by some device that prevented him from using his powers was intolerable.

He and the other Titans heard a noise at the air duct grate and looked at it. The grate worked its way off, and Match dropped out of it. He looked paler than normal and was shaking slightly.

"Your air ducts need to be larger," he told them.

"Match!" Superboy exclaimed. "Be careful, there are-"

"Tell me after I set you free," he said, going over to the shackles. "These don't look too complicated; I should be able to open them fairly easily."

"That is, unless you're interrupted," a voice from the door said.

Match turned to see Devastation there.

"Who are you supposed to be?" she asked, eyeing Match. "Superboy Blue?"

Match answered with force beams. They knocked her back a bit, but Devastation didn't look like they affected her that much.

"That wasn't very nice of you," she said with a nasty grin. "I'll have to punish you for that."

She lunged for Match, but he dodged out of the way. A few more of Devastation's punches were met with either dodges or blocks. Unfortunately, the noise drew out the other villains.

"Get him!" Devastation shouted.

Inertia charged, but Match was already launching himself off the ground. Prometheus swung his club at Match and knocked him down. Merlyn fired an arrow at him, but Match stopped it with a telekinetic shield.

Match dug into his pockets and pulled out dozens of little pieces of cord, paperclips, or pieces of cloth. He used his powers to animate all of them to harry and annoy the villains. They slapped at and brushed away the debris for a few minutes before Devastation slammed Match against the wall.

"Did you really think those things could stop us?" she demanded.

"They served their purpose," Match replied calmly.

"What was that?"

"They bought me time."

The four villains suddenly became aware that the Titans were free.

"Get 'em!" Robin ordered.

Without the element of surprise or preparation, the villains were quickly overwhelmed by the Teen Titans.

After the villains had been turned over to the DEO for incarceration, Robin turned to Match and asked, "How'd you get us free?"

Match looked around the room where the Titans had been held captive. He telekinetically brought a few items to his hand before showing them to Robin. They were a set of lockpicks.

"I was buying time while working on your locks," he explained. "My animating the little trinkets to harry they took attention away from the lockpicks. It was a little difficult to keep all of those items in motion, but I wasn't at full power and couldn't defeat them by myself."

"Thank you for your help," Robin said reluctantly. "We couldn't have stopped them without you."

Match nodded, and Superboy smiled. It wasn't acceptance, but it was a start.

* * *

Seine was remarkably free of tension when he went to see Rhine. He was usually worried about disappointing the elderly man, but not today. 

Rhine noticed this different mood. "I take it that you have good news?"

"We have a positive sighting," Seine reported. "The footage is being transmitted to my panel now."

Seine and Rhine watched the footage. It was of Match going to assist the Titans. The two smiled.

Rhine turned to Seine. "Dark Reflection appears to have been a success. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

"You should be able to get Danube's assistance now. She'll take care of our loose end."

------

Apologies to Titans fans if my portrayal of them isn't very sympathetic. It's a story mainly through the eyes of Match and Superboy, and many of the Titans don't have a very high opinion of the former (for good reasons).

Any and all comments welcome!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Tragedies of the Past, chapter 7

Conner noticed that Max was in a pensive mood after he assisted the Titans. The Kents didn't notice it, but Max seemed preoccupied and quieter than normal.

Finally, he could take it no longer. "Max, is there anything you want to talk about?"

"What makes you think there's something to talk about?" Max asked.

"You're giving that non-denial again," Conner noted. "You've also been thinking about something. Maybe it's one of those things where one twin picks up on the mood or thoughts of the other."

"We're not twins."

"We're close enough. Stop avoiding the question."

"I've been thinking about Inertia."

"You've been thinking about Inertia? Why would you be thinking about, oh, I get it."

"His background is very similar to mine. If things had gone a little differently, would I have been fighting the Titans alongside him?"

"You weren't fighting with them, though. You were fighting against them. What might have beens aren't as important as what you are and have done."

"It's difficult for me to ignore what might have happened. I see you and wonder what would have happened if I..."

"If you were successful when we first met? Well, you'd be the one who had a lot of younger brothers."

Max looked at Conner. "I'm not sure I get the joke."

"The Agenda would have made more of you, right? You'd be their older brother."

"If the Agenda made more of me, I'd be dead."

"How can you be sure of that?"

"The Agenda cloned me from you, and you started melting. The Agenda wouldn't have bothered trying to keep me alive; they'd just let me die when it became apparent that their cloning technique was flawed."

"I...I never thought about that."

"It was something they threatened me with. If I ever failed them, they'd just make another Match and let me melt away."

"That's horrible!"

"I'm not supposed to be here," Max continued. "Not here as in this form, but alive. I should be dead."

"Did seeing Inertia make you think this?"

"I already knew it. Seeing him just made me think about it in a little more prolonged manner. It crops up every now and again."

"How frequently?"

"Every three or four days."

"You call that every now and again? Have you told someone else? What am I thinking? Of course you haven't."

"I didn't see any purpose in doing so."

"Did you think that maybe we could help you work through your problems and it wouldn't bother you any more?"

"It doesn't bother me. You didn't notice until now."

"Any other unwelcome thoughts or memories that crop up regularly?"

"Just...you know."

"What?"

"What was done to me."

Conner was silent for a moment before saying, "Do you want to see a psychologist or something? Someone who can help you?"

"It wouldn't work. I'd have to explain who I am."

"I think Clark saw one in his other identity. You wouldn't have to see one as Max."

"I don't think I could discuss this with a stranger. I'd just say that everything was fine."

Conner hugged Max. "You can talk to me about anything. I'll help however I can."

--------

Any and all comments welcome!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: DC Comics owns all rights to the characters within. They are used without permission and not meant to infringe on copyrights or meant to generate income.

Tragedies of the Past, chapter 8

Danube smiled. She was going to have her revenge against Match. She looked over her squad, checking that they were ready.

"You're going down," she whispered, smiling in anticipation.

* * *

The monitor started buzzing. That was never a good sign. The Martian Manhunter looked over the situation. A group of commandoes had taken over a dam in New York and were threatening to blow it up unless their demands were met. They wanted Match. 

J'onn blinked in surprise. That was an unusual demand; most of the world was unaware of his existence. He telepathically updated the JLA.

'What are our options?' he asked.

'I could take them out before they blink,' the Flash offered.

'Without knowing what they're capable of, it's too dangerous,' Batman replied. 'We need to know more about them.'

'Then we should consult our only source that may know,' J'onn sent.

'I don't like it,' Wonder Woman declared. 'There's no guarantee that he'll tell the truth. I don't trust him.'

'J'onn can monitor him,' Superman offered. 'He hasn't shown any reason for distrusting him; he's proven himself trustworthy.'

'Get Match to the Watchtower,' Batman ordered. 'We'll see if he knows anything about them.'

* * *

Superboy and Match joined the assembled JLA at the Watchtower. They were briefed on the situation. 

"Put me in contact with them," Match said. "We don't have any visuals, and I have too many possible candidates to consider."

"You know a lot of commandoes?" Wonder Woman asked.

"They could be ex-agents of the Agenda or the Groups. It's also possible that they're from organizations I helped bring down when I worked with the Groups. They could be mercenaries hired by any of the previously mentioned list. Those are only the most likely possibilities."

Match went over to the communication monitor. "This is Match."

A short-haired woman with an athletic build appeared on the monitor. "Hello, Tin Man. I know it must be you because no one else could manage that emotionless voice during a crisis like this."

"Danube," Match greeted her. "What is it you want?"

"I want my life back, but you took that, didn't you? I know that the JLA is listening, do they know that you destroyed my life?"

"I hadn't discussed you with them."

"I'm not surprised. Gloating was never your thing, was it Tin Man?"

"What is it you want that I can give you?"

"I want a trade, just a simple trade."

"You must be offering to abandon the dam, correct?"

"That's correct. In return, I want a duel with you. I want to crush you with my own hands."

Match ignored any looks from Superboy or the JLA. "I believe we can come to an arrangement. One hour from now at your location?"

"I'm looking forward to it."

Match turned off the connection and turned to those assembled. "She's a former agent of the Groups named Danube. She was their top field agent. She's also a metahuman with the ability to mimic the powers of those in close proximity to her. She's highly dangerous, more so if she were to get near of any of you."

"Do you think we can rush in and stop her?" Green Lantern asked.

"No, she would have prepared for that."

"What did you do to her?" Superman asked. "Why does she hate you?"

"I was given her job."

"What are her talents outside of her powers?" Batman asked.

"She can do almost anything. She's one of the finest hand-to-hand combatants on the planet. She's an expert at infiltration. She knows how to use any weapon on the planet and is an expert with most of them."

"It's too dangerous for you to fight her," Superman objected. "It sounds like she'll kill you."

"It's the only way we can be sure that she won't blow the dam."

"Can you beat her?" Superboy asked.

Match gazed expressionlessly at him for a moment. "I'm going to get ready."

He left without another word.

* * *

Match was wearing a plain black jumpsuit and carrying a pda. He handed the pda to the Martian Manhunter. 

"Here's what needs to be done while I'm fighting Danube," he said. "I need all of you to stay away from the fight. If you don't, there will be too many variables involved."

"Why aren't you wearing your costume?" Superman asked.

"That costume is about the future," Match replied. "This is about the past. She's going to destroy whatever I'm wearing anyway to make sure I'm not concealing a weapon in it."

Superboy was worried as they were walking to the teleporter. Something didn't seem right.

"How can you take her?" he asked. "It sounds like she's too dangerous."

"The Groups implanted most of her skills into me," Match replied. "We're on even-footing, except that I have better control of my powers than she will. I expect she's prepared something to neutralize that advantage."

"Why's she call you 'Tin Man?'"

Match smiled bitterly. "She's trying to demean me. It's something she did when we briefly worked together. She knew I was chosen to be her replacement and didn't like it."

"I'm not sure I get the reference."

"It's from 'The Wizard of Oz.'"

"I haven't read that."

"I'll tell you about it after I'm back," Match said as they arrived at the teleporter.

Match teleported down to Danube's location. A few of her men were there as well.

"Tin Man," she sneered. "You came. I'm surprised."

"Danube," he greeted her.

"Search him," she ordered her men.

Match held out his arms and didn't resist their search. They stripped him down to his underwear. Match didn't seem bothered.

"I've come in good faith," he said. "Please release the hostages."

Danube smiled. "Not quite yet. They'll be released at the conclusion of our duel. Would you like to guess the terms?"

"Unarmed combat's your specialty. I would expect it would be that."

"It will start out that way, but there are boxes with weapons that will open after a random amount of time. Some will have guns, some will have melee weapons. It'll be random."

"How are you going to neutralize my powers?"

"We've already put a chemical in the air. You should have lost the ability to access your powers by now. In the unlikely event that you survive, they'll return in a couple hours."

"Your men will abide by the results of the duel?"

"Of course."

"Then, I'm ready."

* * *

Superboy was left to observe the fight from the Watchtower's monitor. He had a feeling that Match requested he fill that role because he knew that Kon would feel the urge to intervene. 

Kon certainly wished he could help his brother. The start of the duel was slow with the two trying to take the updated measure of each other, but it quickly escalated with Danube slamming her fist into Match's stomach. It didn't slow him down too much, and he retaliated with a backhand to her temple. Their techniques were identical, and they both moved so gracefully that Kon was having a hard time keeping up with the action.

* * *

Match was breathing heavily. It had been quite some time since he faced an opponent with skills as advanced as Danube's. He was a touch quicker than her, but without his powers, she was slightly stronger. She also had a slightly longer reach since she was taller than him. He took comfort in the fact that she was breathing heavily too. 

Their fight was quiet except for the breathing and occasional grunt. Neither talked to each other; there was nothing to say. Their expressions said everything. Match's face was a picture of concentration, Danube's was a mask of rage.

The two of them had both taken some hits and bruises were already starting to form. They seemed evenly matched and the fight could continue for some time.

* * *

Seine and Rhine were on an overlooking mountain sharing a pair of high-powered binoculars. 

"Quite an impressive fight," Rhine commented.

"Yes, it is," Seine said, frowning. "I didn't think he'd do so well against Danube."

A figure rose out of the ground from behind them.

"Hello, gentlemen," the Martian Manhunter intoned. "We've been looking forward to seeing the Groups' leadership again."

Seine's hand that went for his gun was restrained by J'onn. Rhine gave him a smile.

"Very nicely played," he said with admiration in his voice. "This was quite neat. Would you permit me to finish watching the duel? I believe it's going to conclude soon."

* * *

Batman and the Flash were making sure that the bombs were disarmed and the hostages freed. Flash would transport him from location to location while Batman neutralized the bombs. 

"I wonder how the fight's going," the Flash asked.

"I wouldn't bet against Match," Batman said.

"Are you actually saying something nice about him?"

"He's good. That's why I'm keeping an eye on him."

* * *

Match took a hit on his chin, but managed to land a kick on Danube's temple. They were both looking worse for the wear and breathing heavily. Still, looks of determination were on both of their faces. 

A beep sounded and a case slightly closer to Match opened, revealing a sword. He dashed for it. As he was running for it, another beep sounded and a case opened that Danube ran towards.

It contained a gun.

* * *

Kon stood up and shouted at the monitor. "Max!"

* * *

Elation surged through Danube as she picked up the gun. As tired as he was, there was no way that Match could dodge all her shots. Victory was hers!

* * *

Match was dashing across the room as he noticed Danube's weapon. 

That was bad.

* * *

Danube swung around, bringing the gun up when she felt a pain in her chest, and her strength slipped away. She tried to keep the gun up to shoot Match, but she couldn't find the strength in her arms. She looked down to see that a sword was sticking into her chest with blood flowing out of the wound. 

"No," she mouthed as she collapsed.

Match walked over and looked down at her. She was still trying to point the gun at him. He took it out of her trembling fingers.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I didn't want to do that. If it helps, the wound is merely serious, not critical."

Danube glared at him with hate clearly in her eyes.

Match smiled sadly at her. "You never realized, did you? My taking your position was a reward for you. You were too valuable to continue risking in the field. I was expendable."

Confusion crossed over her face.

"Please, rest. You'll need to recover your strength."

* * *

Back at the Watchtower, Match had his wounds tended and dressed back into his costume. 

"Don't scare me like that again!" Kon scolded him. "When I saw she had a gun, I thought..."

"We need to talk about what you did," Superman said. "You could have killed her!"

"I threw the sword to disable, not kill her," Match said as if that explained everything.

"You were lucky."

"If my intention was to kill her or to be sure to disable her before she could shoot, I would have aimed at her throat instead of her chest."

"You're saying you knew exactly what you were doing?"

"Yes. I have a question."

"What is it?"

"Did you apprehend the Groups' leaders?"

"Yes. They were where you guessed they would be."

"I'd like to talk to them."

Superman gave him a quizzical look. Match had an expression on his face that Kon couldn't decipher. Finally, Superman shrugged his shoulders.

"They're being held in the conference room," Superman said. "The older one said that he had to pay his respects to you."

Match nodded his thanks and went to the conference room. Kon was curious and followed him.

In the room, Rhine and Seine looked at Match when he entered the room. Seine looked away, but Rhine and Match examined each other silently for a while.

Match broke the silence. "You're a little older than I thought you'd be."

"With age comes wisdom," Rhine replied. "Or, so they claim. I must congratulate you on a well-fought duel. You did quite well, and you figured I'd be watching."

"It was unfortunate that it had to come to this, but you indicated that you weren't going to move on to other things."

"What do you mean?" Kon asked. "What indications?"

"The giant robot in Wichita was the first," Match explained. "They set up a situation where you would likely be the first responder. That was to see if I was still associating with you. The second was the group that assaulted Titan's Tower. That was for confirmation and to establish a sighting."

Rhine smiled. "You're good. You're very good. It's not all that surprising, but it bears repeating."

"What do you mean 'it's not surprising?'" Kon asked.

"I'm considered one of the best strategists alive," Rhine admitted. "A large chunk of my strategic knowledge and experiences was implanted into Match."

"Goodbye, Rhine," Match said.

As Kon and Match were leaving, Rhine called out, "They weren't my orders, you know. Thames was the one who assessed the threat and issued the orders to kill Superboy."

Match stopped and didn't turn around. "Do you think that changes anything?"

"No, it doesn't. However, you've seen what's out there in the world. You know that underneath the trappings of civilization lies an unseemly humanity. Do you think that they can safeguard humanity from this tower on the moon? I'm charging you to keep civilization intact. Think of it as the last request of an old man."

Match walked off without saying another word.

* * *

That night, the two were in their beds when Conner asked, "What was your code name?" 

"What are you talking about?" Max asked.

"What river were you? Mississippi? Rhone? Potomac?"

"They didn't give me a river codename. Those were only for the top ranks. I was just Match."

"What was the Wizard of Oz reference? You said you'd tell me later."

There was a pause before Max answered. "Three characters in the Wizard of Oz were each missing a trait. The Scarecrow didn't have a brain. The Lion didn't have courage. The Tin Man was the third character."

"What was his deal?"

"He didn't have a heart."

Conner paused. That was so unfair to Max! He wasn't very open with his feelings, but he did have them!

"That's not true of you, you know," he said.

"Maybe not now, but then? I wonder..."

-------------

This concludes Tragedies of the Past. I hope you enjoyed it!

I'm currently working on a 4-part story tentatively titled "Meltdown Redux" before launching into a much longer one called "Sins of the Future."

Any and all comments welcome!


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